Long Time Coming
by Sookiefan1995
Summary: Eric never expected what life handed him but in true viking style he trys.


I own nothing all owned by C. Harris and HBO.

Long Time Coming

Finally Eric was home again back to his little slice of Louisiana.

But what he came back to was not what he had been expecting.

However now that he thought about it life never was. Life was always

changing just like all this had changed him.

The debauched events with the Authority had been responsible for that.

It started out as a way to save his own neck and kill a man whom he

had swore revenge on over a thousand years ago.

Although, he had accomplished the two goals he had set out to achieve.

It had also allowed a weak King to rise to even more power.

Bill had escaped his wrath along with his new lover and

coe conspiritator Salome who had reconstructed the Authority with

none other than themselves as the head authority.

When Eric slipped off into the night and New Orleans became distant

lights in the background he had one destination in mind…Bon Temps.

Having released Pam so she could train her new vampire child

Sookie's long time childhood friend Tara before all this began Eric

longed for the comfort of Sookie.

Feeling more in touch with his emotions than he had in the last

thousand years he silently walked on the front lawn and stood in front

of the door to enter the old farmhouse.

Just before he knocked he heard the angry voice of his lover behind

the closed door.

The hateful words spewing forth from her mouth didn't match what he

knew to be true about her character when he had left to put an end to

Russell's madness, yet he realized during his time away she had

changed too.

As he stood there and silently listened to the conversation from inside

the house he realized that Alcide had told his lover how he had been

unfaithful to her with Nora just hours after Sookie herself had walked

away from him completely undoing all her trust he had worked so

hard to earn.

Yes, it was true he had been unfaithful to her. Yet it meant nothing to

him.

He had been acting out of hurt caused by her rejection of him.

But this was something he was sure she was never going to come

to realize and understand because his Sookie had never discovered

how to separate emotions and sex like a vampire could. But he was

no longer that vampire.

Something in the long chain of events had given him back his

mortality after being one of the undead for over a thousand years.

Accepting the futility of now gaining comfort from his Sookie he

slipped away into the night as silently as he had arrived at her door.

Eric had not been human in so long that he quickly realized that he

would had to fall back on what he had learned during his time spent

with Sookie if he was going to survive as a human now.

The first thing he realized was that although as a vampire he had

been a wealthy man he was now penniless. Suddenly he knew why

Sookie had always placed such importance on her job at that back

water bar in Bon Temps.

As he lay by the fire reading the stolen bartending book from the local

library in Waverly, Kentucky he admired the tenacity of the small

blond more now than before.

Surviving in the woods in a small tent stolen from Wal-Mart for shelter

existing on only what he could hunt and kill cooked on an open fire

was not his idea of living.

With memorized drink recipes swirling around in his head he walked

into the bar and for the first time in his life he applied for a job. Two

weeks later he was cashing his first paycheck in the amount of

$800.00 after taxes using the ID of one Joe McCain who happened to

stop in the bar one night on his way to Dallas.

Eight hundred dollars every two weeks did not go far. After paying

two weeks rent on a small room with an even smaller bed for such a

large man and a few changes of clothes from the local Wal-Mart his

next task was finding transportation.

Although Eric was not a lazy man this business of walking

everywhere he went was getting old real quick. As he approached

the beater of a car that would have put Sookie's to shame an oily,

smiling salesman on the buy here, pay here lot approached him.

Having put $300.00 of his hard earned money down and signing a

contract to pay $100.00 a week until the amount of $1000.00 was

paid in full for a vehicle that should have long since been sent to the

scrap yard he drove away.

Eric worked six months at the Tats and Tails bar before deciding to

move on. Heading west he landed in Baker, Washington before his

money ran out. He had gotten good at living on a cheap budget.

Pam would have gotten a good laugh at him when he refused to

deviate from his food budget while shopping. He had also come

to highly appreciate Sookie's fashion since on such a limited

budget.

Knowing the limitations of a human from having been superior as a

vampire for so long Eric now carried two small silver chains in the

front pockets of his jeans and a stake strapped in a holster on the

calf of his leg for emergencies.

He knew he had been a vampire for so long and as Sheriff of Area 5

he had earned the reputation of being brutal thus, making him highly

recognizable in the vampire community as well as, creating many

enemies.

However the one thing that had not changed for him was his appeal

for the opposite sex. He could remain faithful to Sookie as a human

when he knew doing otherwise would have made the last year of his

life easier, yet he found it ironic that he couldn't seem to as a vampire

with Nora when he had everything.

Late at night his mind drifted to thoughts of Sookie and he hoped she

was well. He knew that Bill was a threat to her still however with

Salome at his side and the power she had placed in his hands Sookie

would be secure in Bon Temps and besides there was his child who

help to look after her if for nothing else but to give her own child

Sookie's childhood friend some ease.

Having lost the bond with Pam and Sookie he felt very lonely at

times. He now understood why family and friends meant so much

to the little blond telepath. It also became clear to him why she had

been so attracted to his kind from the beginning and how very lonely

she must have felt as a child. No wonder her Gran had meant every

thing to her and a small piece of her had died when the old woman

had passed away.

In hindsight if he could go back he would do things differently he

would be the kind of man she needed in her life. As the sunshine of

the afternoon warmed his skin he walked into the laundry mat to

make sure he had clean clothes for next week from his limited

wardrobe.

When the dryer in front of him came to a stop he pulled himself away

from the thoughts of the boundless supply of energy his Sookie

seemed to possess. She would work her shift at the bar then work

some more for him reading humans at Fangtasia and make love half

the night to him before falling asleep in his arms. The longer he was

human the more he grew to realize how difficult her life had been and

how little he had done to make it easier. Sure he had bought her

pretty and expensive things when she let him. But in truth he now

knew it was the small things that mattered the most. Once again

he realized just how badly he had failed her.

Five years had passed and Eric was still just trying to get ahead in a

world where the strongest and richest held all the control. Having

traveled all across America he had witnessed people at their worst

and at their best. Standing in the woods on the outskirts of her front

yard in the bright morning sun he watched her work in her flower

garden along her front porch.

As she wiped the sweat from her brow with her arm she strained to

push the wheelbarrow loaded with mulch. Stepping into view he

quietly said, "Can I be of some help?"

Whirling around she couldn't believe her eyes. Standing just over her

shoulder was Eric…Eric in the bright morning sun!

Throwing her arms around his neck she pulled him in close and

whispered "oh Eric", as tears rolled down her cheek dripping into the

crook where his neck met his shoulder.

Suddenly pulling back when her mind caught up with her body

tugging him toward the house in her response to his supposed

danger.

"Sookie I am fine…look at me the sun can no longer harm me."

In her fear she had not heard a word he had said to her and as she

pulled him into the house he softly heard her whisper, "come in Eric"

just the way she use to.

Following her to the guest bedroom where the hidey hole apparently

still was he turned her around to face him and said, "Sookie its ok. I

have not had to hide from the sun for a long time. But right now I sure

could use something to eat."

Leading her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen that he had

designed he set his backpack down beside him as he pulled out a

chair for both of them. "Sookie I know you are probably in shock at

seeing me like this especially after all this time. I promise I will tell you

everything as soon as I fix us something to eat."

Leaving her sitting at the table he got up and taking eggs and bacon

out of the refrigerator he moved to the stove to begin a meal.

By the time he had placed a plate of food down in front of her she

seemed to have recovered from her shock enough to thank him and

began eating.

Sookie couldn't help but notice that the man before her was not the

same confident vampire who was constantly making sexual

innuendos toward her from all those years ago. Although he seemed

just as assured as he use to be he seemed softer in the since that he

now was hesitant to say something that might offend her.

Putting the last bite of yesterday's fresh biscuit in his mouth he stretched out in the chair sliding his long legs to the other side of the small table.

"Sookie when you walked out of Bill's that night and away from me I was angry. Angrier than I had a right to be at you. I was angry because of your rejection of me and the pitiful excuse of love that I offered you at the time. Let me now say that I understand why you did what you did. Knowing what I do now I would not have chose myself or Bill either. Because what I offered you that night was a little love and a lot of control. I understand that I offered you a life where few choices would have been yours to make. I offered a love but only in secret when it was just the two of us. In the world I existed in at the time I could never have loved you openly and fully without appearing weak and that weakness would have caused all of our deaths yours, mine, and Pam's. But know this at the time I loved you as much as I was able to.

That night after you left Bill and I cleaned up the remains of Nan and were then captured by the Authority. Later I come to discover that the Authority was lead by none other than Russell. He had joined with Salome and my vampire sister Nora to over throw Roman as their leader.

Roman believed in mainstreaming however Nora, Salome, and Russell believed in a higher power and dominance over the whole human race. Having replaced Roman they planed to carry out this world wide dominance on humans using all vampires over whom they had complete power.

Although it hurts me greatly to share this with you I admit that for a short while I participated in the savage slaughter of innocent humans. Some how being forced to drink the blood of the most high vampire I fell under their influence. Godric was my saving grace.

In the middle of bloodlust so powerful he appeared to me and I was able to regain full control of myself. I tried to save Bill and Nora because I love her as a sister and Godric ask it of me I was unsuccessful.

That night when I rejected their control I immediately began to notice a change in my physical being realizing I didn't have much time until they noticed it too I worked quickly.

The next morning I rose just as the sun came up unharmed by its rays. Since I was unguarded I managed to stake Russell and Nora in their day time sleep along with all the other surviving members of the Authority except for Bill and Salome.

You see Salome had requested that Bill be her lover and rule by her side as the oldest vampire to walk the earth. Bill being the power hungry ruler that he has always been accepted her offer. They had gone to their day sleep behind secure doors making it impossible for me to stake them too.

I simply walked away after causing as much death and damage as I could. Having already released Pam so she could now be a good maker to your friend Tara and attained the status of mortality once again I knew it made the life I had before impossible. I lost it all including you… I had lost everything.

For the last five years I have been living life as a human and relearning things I had long since forgotten as well as learning lots of new things.

I want to thank you Sookie for the time that we shared together and all the things you taught me during our time together. Without the knowledge I gained from you I am sure I would not have survived this last five years.

Sookie knew that all the things Eric was telling her were true because his thoughts were coming into her head loud and clear.

I have not come back here to cause you trouble or hurt you. I have not come back to still profess a kind of love that I know is not what you want or need I simply stopped by to say thank you for loving the monster I was.

Sookie had sat silent through Eric's long tale only her eyes reflecting her surprise at the words coming out of his mouth and the answers to the questions her mind had ask for so long.

She couldn't believe the changes she was now witnessing in the vampire…no wait the man before her now! Silently she laid her warm hand upon his equally warm arm in a comforting…I understand gesture.

Getting up from the table he began clearing the breakfast dishes for clean up.

"Eric how have you survived all this time as a human with nothing?"

"I have worked as a bartender mixing drinks. I worked for about a year on a construction crew in Florida as a laborer. And believe it or not for the last two years I have trained under a chef in California.

As hard as it has been at times I now understand why you never wanted to trade the sun for the moon Sookie."

"Eric why did you not contact me before now? For all this time I thought you had met the final death. I went to Fangtasia and Pam was so mournful that she could not even talk to me but Tara explained that she felt her bond die the same night ours did."

"Sookie I knew I could not stay here and start over as a human. It would have been too dangerous for us both besides how humiliating would that have been for Pam to have a human as a master."

"But I will be honest with you Sookie I did come back here. I was outside your front door before I realized it was not the best decision for everyone involved."

Tell me Sookie is there now someone special in your life? Have you allowed someone to mend the broken heart I heard evidence of in your crying outside of Bill's mansion that night?

"No Eric no one special but time has healed my heart. You know my disability has always made it impossible for me to have a relationship with…Sookie stopped herself from finishing the sentence because that's just what Eric was now.

So he finished it for her…I think the word you are looking for is human Sookie he whispered softly.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes he quickly changed topics. "I think you will find this interesting…I now love coffee and can see why you insisted on having it first thing of the morning. It certainly wakes you up after a night of sleep."

Sookie smiled at him in an understanding way. But what she said next surprised him more than anything else she had said this morning.

"Eric I will understand if you don't have the time but I have the next three days off. I know you can't be seen around here so why don't we take a short road trip down to the gulf…my treat…to spend some time getting to know each other again? I have missed you Eric and I want to get to know the new you."

"I would love to Sookie however could I ask your permission to use your shower before we hit the road?"

"Sounds like a plan you shower I will pack a few things." She said getting up from her chair.

Before the sun was at high noon they were on the road in Eric's Suv.

By the end of the three days Sookie realized she was still in love with Eric. He had shared with her that he had purchased a modest home in California. But the bank still owned it for the next 15 years or at least until the mortgage was paid off. In three months time the chef he was training under would be leaving Eric to manage the restaurant in California while he moved on to New York to another.

Having never been very forward in their past relationship Sookie took a chance and expressed her desire to see the life Eric had built for himself away from here.

After assuring her she would be welcome anytime and handing her his home address he walked out of the little Bon Temps farm house with hope in his heart that she would take him up on his offer to see his life in California.

Six months later none other than Sookie Stackhouse showed up at his door with suitcase in hand. By the end of her two week vacation not only had she gained 5 pounds from the delicious meals Eric prepared for her but she felt the pure and unconditional love he was able to express openly for her. A love that she had always known was inside Eric's heart all along just waiting to come out.

The End


End file.
